welcome to fresh.

SwervePoint Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Finalists.

Alright so we got all dressed up and went to the big city and didn't bring home the bacon...mind you, we did have fun. Ernst & Young does a great job with this event and of course we were proud to be a finalist but frankly losing sucks. We're not really good at it either. We're gracious but not good at it. So maybe we'll take a run at it again next year or maybe not. We lost to Harpoon Brewery if you're curious. Congratulations to them, we drink Samuel Adams. See what I mean about not being good at losing? Harpoon does make great beer though. I even bought some kickin' patent leather Chuck Taylor's for the soiree. We finished off the night watching the Bruins hoist the cup while we hoisted some tequila.

SwervePoint Summer Sizzlers Catalog is Ready for Viewing.

Check out our latest seasonal catalog using our fancy and new catalog viewer software called ISSUU.

SwervePoint Golf Catalog is Ready for Viewing.

Check out our latest golf catalog using our fancy and new catalog viewer software called ISSUU.

T-shirt Success Story.

CBS Radio Tampa Bay has been using some fun t-shirt designs to promote their newest station, Play 98.7 – Tampa’s newest home for adult hit music, designed for office listening.

The station promising "today's best hits, without the rap" plays music by artists such as Katy Perry, John Mayer, and Maroon 5 to name a few, which inspired the imprints featured on these cotton tees.

Using eco-friendly ink, each t-shirt was digitally screenprinted with one of three front chest imprints, as well as the Play 98.7 station logo on the lower back hip. The three front designs highlight phrases from songs by Pink, Ke$ha, and Katy Perry - paired with playful graphics intended to attract their target recipients for these shirts: female listeners in Tampa Bay.

The significance of the digital screenprint process is that water-based ink is used (eco-friendly) which is absorbed into the fabric to maintain the nice soft feel of the District Threads brand cotton shirt.

These have been a huge hit for the station! Give us a call to brainstorm creative merchandise ideas for your next promotion or event. Let us know if you have a success story to share and inspire others.

SwervePoint Founders Recognized.

We found out the other day that we're finalists in the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year awards. If Randy Jackson from American Idol was one of the judges he'd say,  "Ryan, Ryan, SwervePoint is in it to win it!"

It's definitely an honor to be recognized in this fashion and to have all three SwervePoint founders included in the award is a testament to the strength of teamwork and demonstrates that it takes more than one person to grow a great company. We have great clients, great employees, and great vendors. The formula works so we're going to just keep trying to improve it. 

According to Ernst & Young LLP, the awards program recognizes entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. Award winners will be announced at a special gala event on 15 June 2011 at the Boston Renaissance Waterfront Hotel.

 

Exhibiting at ISM Orlando.

SwervePoint is excited to be exhibiting at the 96^th International Supply Management (ISM) Conference and Educational Exhibit this weekend in Orlando, Florida. The Exhibit Hall grand opening is at 5:00pm on Sunday, May 15^th. We will be setup in Booth 107 next to our WBENC friends.

If you are attending ISM at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center, stop by and visit to see what fresh merchandise we will have in store. The Exhibit Hall closes at 3:00pm on Tuesday, May 17^th. Hope to see you there.

California... Meet SwervePoint.

We're opening up in California in the Fall of 2011.

This is going to sound familiar :)

We'll have more details to share when the time comes but this is gonna be epic. California allows us to have a strategic presence on the West Coast to serve major markets and existing client operations throughout the region.

We currently support many Northeast clients' meetings and special events at swanky properties up and down the West Coast and this will give us boots (flip flops, sandals, birkenstocks) on the ground.

For more info contact Juli at juli.sinnett@swervepoint.com.

Florida... meet SwervePoint.

We're opening up in Florida in April. Yuh think we could have figured out how to do this in December or January?

We'll have more details to share when the time comes but this is gonna be epic. Florida allows us to have a strategic presence in the Southeast region to serve major markets and existing client operations throughout the region.

We currently support many Northeast clients' meetings and special events at swanky properties throughout the Southeast and this will give us boots (flip flops) on the ground.

For more info contact Juli at juli.sinnett@swervepoint.com.

 

Get Ready Millis. We're on the move.

Plans have been drafted and our buildout is well underway for our new offices in Millis, MA.

Starting in April we'll have way more space. Brand spankin' new space. Space to create. Space to grow. It's gonna be epic.

Our team in Medfield has been super patient and understanding that we needed to find the right fit and that not just any old ordinary office would do.

This place will have character. It'll have an internal staircase to the second floor, a nice kitchen and bar area to eat and drink, an awesome showroom for supplier presentations, and a dance floor?

Everyone will be happier, more efficient, and healthier.

BOOM!

Let's see some pride people. Get your Leprechaun on!

On March 17th in cities like Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, New York, Savannah, and Seattle, people celebrate their Irish heritage by participating in St. Patrick's Day. Even if you're not Irish or have no Irish background, watching a parade or visiting a local pub can be a great life experience. It's also a great day to share the spirit of your brand with all the shiny, happy people. Check out our St. Patrick's day collection to see how affordable and fun advertising your brand can be.

New Product Picks from Vegas.

Download the newest product picks from our Senior Merchandiser Antonietta Palladino. She's got a little something for everyone in there. Enjoy.

BOOM! +1 Research.

I recently visited the offices of Zappos.com with Ponzie (see King photo).

We wanted to check out what was behind the legendary customer service of Zappos, so we went on a tour.

We were picked up in the Zappos shuttle from our hotel on the strip and driven to the offices in Henderson, NV. Our driver was wicked nice and made a great first impression. 

When we got to the office we signed in, ate some popcorn, drank some water, and then met Jonathan Wolske the Zappos Zealot by way of Oshawa, ON. Go Canada Go! He showed us a brief video he recorded about the beginnings and history of the company. Interesting and funny. This is serious business. Zappos.com greets roughly one thousand visitors a month (not including vendors). 

From there we connected with our tour guide Andi. She rocked. We visited the Recruiting Team, Customer Loyalty Team, the Cafe, a Content Team, and the Zappos Insights Team. Along the way we primarily learned about the culture of the company and how it is designed to make all people happy; customers, vendors, and employees alike.

It's no joke. It's the real deal. This place is more than a little weird but it works for them and their business model. It's really about making sure Zappos people are in the best frame of mind to take care of their customers because in the end that's all that really matters. We can all buy shoes and clothing from many other places but Zappos makes it fun, easy, and a good value.

As we continue to establish our BOOM! +1 Customer Experience at SwervePoint we can learn a lot from Zappos.com (#6 on Fortune Magazine's 100 Best Companies to Work For list).

SwervePoint is fresh and fun. We're authentic, professional, and creative. Our culture compliments what our clients look for in a supplier partner. We understand that B2B is different than B2C. We'll continue to learn from great companies like Zappos.com and make our customer experience the best it can be.

Finding the Finds in Vegas.

We recently sent a talented team of SwervePeeps to Vegas to find the latest and greatest in merchandise and to meet with our key supplier partners.

We left for Vegas with a lot on the merchandising docket, including significantly more than a fistful of projects to work on, thanks to our Bright Lights, Big City post that featured a new project form and chance to win an iPad.

We'll be announcing the big winner here at the blog in the coming days or when the snow stops falling.

We'd like to give a big BOOM! +1 shout out to our friends at Sanmar, Nike, Prime Line, Chameleon Like, ETS Express, Greg Norman, Ball Pro, and Spector for being so awesome to us.

We're working on our Visions of Vegas collection that will feature roughly 2 dozen of the best of show products to send to you asap.

Stay tuned.

Jamboree 2011 Winter Edition - BOOM! +1

We recently gathered for a day of education during our annual Jamboree. The day is jam packed and features departmental presentations, team and account presentations, and the past year's financial performance.

This year one of our special presentations focused on how to become a Customer Service Star.

A few weeks back we were fortunate enough to have been invited by our client Ernst & Young to participate in a customer service training program at their offices in New York City. Our team came away completely energized by the experience. It was exactly the type of material and program we had been looking for. We've done the typical contrived sales training in the past but what we really wanted was an authentic and genuine platform to build the best customer experience we could.

We've now adopted the moniker BOOM! +1 to refer to our customer experience approach and random acts of it.

We'll keep you updated with our progress on this front.

 

Get Your Giveaway On!

Not only is January the 1st month of the year, it's also the unofficial kick-off month of the tradeshow season. Take a gander at our Tradeshow Essentials.

 

Create Your Own Kit.

Just a reminder that we have awesome kitting services.

If you have an event and need special packaging or need lots of different things drop-shipped to lots of different locations, just give us a shout and we'll take care of the details.

Call 877.793.7838 to get started.

SwervePoint in China.

We recently made a trip to China to visit the Hong Kong Gift Fair, our sourcing and client services office in Hong Kong, and visit factories in Shenzhen and Shanghai.

We arrived in Hong Kong with the significant threat of a massive typhoon bearing down on the city. Nobody seemed interested so we carried on business as usual.

The first part of our trip was spent working the Gift Fair with our preferred writing instruments and stationery vendor, Rob Spector. Rob is a wealth of knowledge and has established personal long-term relationships with leading factories in the category.  The show is massive but we covered it in a couple of days. We primarily focused on merchandising for mid 2011 and 2012 deliveries.

We also had the opportunity to catch up with Gladys, Billy, and Stuart. These fine folks are our eyes and ears on the ground in China. Gladys and Billy are awesome and make a great team. Gladys focuses on the front end information of an order, basically steps 1 through 9 in our production process while Billy focuses on the back end of an order, essentially steps 10-20 in the process. Stuart is our partner from London and oversees many aspects of the operation in China. He flew in for a few days to visit and facilitate our meetings.

Hong Kong, we traveled into China to visit factories with Rob. Along the way we established the phrase "BOOM!" with many of our Chinese vendors. It was really funny to watch Daisy, for example, lay down an emphatic "BOOM!" I think the term is going to go global.

It was cool to see some of our projects rolling through the factories while we were on-site. People work really hard in China. Right now it's hard to find employees because with the economic boom, there's been a labor shortage. Other factors affecting business in China are the rising costs of raw materials, valuation of their currency, and ongoing changes with CPSIA compliance that keep us on our toes, and of course the Chinese New Year starting February 3rd.

If you'd like to learn more about our global sourcing and global service offering, please give us a call and ask to speak with Juli or Jamie.

Bright Lights, Big City.

The countdown to Vegas is officially on. Thirty-one days until SwervePoint jetsets to Las Vegas for the annual PPAI show, the industry’s largest and most-attended tradeshow. This year we have a crew of ten people heading out to Sin City in search of fresh merchandise presented by hundreds of promotional vendors. Since we pride ourselves on being innovators within the promotional products industry, we will keep our eyes peeled for the most creative and innovative products and then deliver our findings to our clients (you guys!).

Help us help you…and help yourself win an iPad. By filling out a Vegas form and letting  us know  what products you want us to search for while we’re at the show, you will automatically be entered into a drawing for a free iPad. The deadline for form submission is January 10, 2011 and names will be drawn for the iPad when we return from Vegas. With our client’s specific needs in mind, we will team up and find you a brand spankin’ new selection of the latest and greatest that will be rolling out in 2011.

Remember, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Except cool products, that stuff’ll come back with us.

Please click here for the Vegas form.

                               

                               

                               

                                                 
          

Important Pricing & Availability Information

 As we look ahead, key macro-economic trends we expect throughout 2011 are: the continuation of rising labor and raw materials costs, longer lead-times, and capacity shortages throughout the supply chain.

 As global demand increases, the cost for most commodities has increased while availability has decreased, resulting in supply constraints that, when combined with US dollar weakness, are expected to result in higher prices.

This is a global economic problem we all face. SwervePoint is working vigilantly to try and offset the impact of these factors and keep cost increases to a minimum. As always, product availability and current pricing will be communicated throughout the quotation process as frequently as possible.

If you have any questions please contact your client services team member or call 877-793-7838.

Today We Are ThankFULL.

It’s that time of the year again and here at SwervePoint we have a lot of things to be thankful for.

As a company, SwervePoint has grown significantly over the past year and has hired many new faces in order to better serve our new, and existing clients. Now more than ever, it feels like we’re a family. Personally, I do not know a single working individual who appreciates their co-workers and work environment as much as I do.

As individuals, we are thankful for friends, family…maybe we should just take a look inside SwervePoint and see what our Principals & employees are really thankful for:

I am thankful…

That I work with people that I’m happy to see every day. – Kevin

For my family, friends & the best employees anyone could ask for. - Juli

For adventures, green cards, ice, Gordon, agave plants, and Sidney Crosby! BOOM! – Jamie

For patient coworkers.  – Cecelia

For being part of a wonderful and caring work family. – Lorri

For my health, after having my stroke earlier this year, and thankful that the incident did not give my wife a stroke as well. – Nick

For our troops that have to be away from their families to protect this country and other countries so that we can be at peace with our families on this terrific holiday. – Zach

For my family – both biological and corporate. – Christina

For the NFL season, it brings people together. – Brian

That my wife and I will be closing on our house today. – Kevin

For my snuggly dogs… especially when my heat is broken. – Whitney

For SwervePoint! Being able to intern at school has been a gift I don’t take lightly. I love that I can be this far away and still feel like a valued member of the team. I love you guys! - Emily

For Everything. I work with great people, am getting married, bought my first house….life can’t get better. – Adriana

That my first job is at SwervePoint because it is such an amazing place where I enjoy my work and the people I work with! - Erin

To be a part of such an awesome group of people and the fact that I work in the middle of horse country! I’ll always be thankful for horses. - Rebecca

For having good health and family/friends, and dishwashers for easy after holiday-meal cleanup! - Sonia

To be working with an amazing team that keeps me laughing every day. – Kristie

For the obvious, my family (especially), my friends, my job and the people I work with but I think for this purpose I am going to state I am thankful for my dog, Gus.  He makes me smile everyday!  - Meg

Every Friday we eat lunch as a family and this week’s menu consists of many traditional Thanksgiving dishes: we have turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, squash, and dessert (among other things). The beauty of a potluck dinner is that everyone can make their favorite dish to share. Below are some Kodak moments.

We wish you and yours a safe and bountiful holiday.

 
                


 

The Bottom Line.

Cotton prices are at a record high since the Civil War and experts believe that prices will not level-off for some time. A string of bad harvests and the strong demand of cotton from China have been two contributing factors to the recent price increase. While cotton is relatively inelastic regarding price and levels of demand, when supply is low, prices will increase. Before the month of July cotton trading was at a steady $.75, but beginning at the end of July, cotton prices were in flux and are now well over $1.20.

We have begun to see price increases not only in the cotton industry, but also in other industries across the board. One such company who has announced price increases for 2011 is UPS. Both UPS Ground and UPS Air will increase the price of their services by 4.9% come January of 2011. UPS states that they will offer clients new features such as improved tracking and eco-friendly shipping, but these enhancements do not come cheap.

While prices are bound to increase in many different industries, SwervePoint will continue to get you the best prices when it comes to all of your event merchandise needs.

Down By The Banks.

As I’m sure most of you fellow Bostonians know: the prestigious 46^th annual Head Of The Charles Regatta (HOCR) crew race was held last  weekend. The HOCR is the world’s largest two-day rowing event and is held right here on the Charles River. (Fun fact: the Charles River is one of the few rivers in the world that flows from south to north.)

EMC, one of our clients, was a title sponsor of this race so we had the opportunity to work with them on promotional items to be passed out at this event. EMC employees were in attendance at the race and were belting the lyrics of the infamous Standells’ tune “down by the banks of the river Charles, that’s where you’ll find me…”  EMC koozies and jackets could be spotted at every mile-marker; who knew that koozies could double as mittens on a brisk day?

Oh, Boston you’re my home!

 

        
              

RuMe Recent Press.

RuMe reusable shopping bags are popping up all over the place!

 In recent news, the functionality and sustainability of RuMe bags were highlighted in magazines and photographed in the hands of celebrities such as Jessica Alba, Nicole Richie, and Joel Madden, just to name a few.

These roll-up tote bags are not only great for Saturday’s trip to the local food market, but are also ideal for use at tradeshows. Because they’re so compact, they’re easy to stash just about anywhere: in your backpack, laptop bag, and even your pocket! Even better, these RuMe totes are machine washable; it can’t get much better than that. Or can it? RuMe stocks patterns to fit your every want and need! Get noticed! We have.

re:fresh

Check out our viewpoint on sustainability and all things green and good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Download SP-REfresh

Children’s Products Defined.

A final ruling on the definition of the term ‘children’s product’ has been made by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC): a consumer product designed or intended primarily for children 12 years of age or younger.

To put everything into perspective when it comes to a child’s age, Kevin McAllister, played by Macaulay Culkin, was only eight years old when he was left Home Alone. Kevin cooked, cleaned…oh, and he took care of two clumsy burglars who broke into his family’s house. While Kevin had to fend for himself, he came into contact with many household items that would not be approved by the CPSC: 

Kate McCallister: [about Kevin] He was in the garage again playing with the glue gun.
Peter McCallister: Didn't we talk about that?
Kevin McCallister: Did I burn down the joint? I don't think so. I was making ornaments out of fish hooks.

Fish hooks and glue guns would not be considered ‘children’s products’, however: youth apparel, games, and other SwervePoint items can help you get noticed by even the youngest crowds at your events, and in a safe manner I might add.

 

Products to Promote Awareness, Education, & Empowerment.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Check out our latest merchandise collection.

Download the seasonal catalog here...Download SP-BrCancer-All

Seamus to the Blog Rescue.

Happy October everyone!

Now that the dog days of summer are over, we’re going to be updating the blog with weekly posts to help bring some ‘cool’ into your life and transition you into the winter months. Those of you who live in warmer climates: you continue to rock those Birkenstocks!

Speaking of dogs, we have Seamus hanging out with us in the office today; we thought it would be fun to integrate “Pet-Day Fridays” into the SwervePoint culture.  Seamus is a 6 year-old black lab who loves the cool merchandise that we have displayed around the office.

Do you know who else loves SwervePoint’s fresh merchandise selection? InTown Veterinary Group. Located in Massachusetts, IVG values long-term relationships built with their four-legged customers. Like IVG, we also value the long-term relationships that we build with our clients – no matter how many legs they have.

    

G is for "Generosity."

Trends are really important to us at SwervePoint. We use them to keep a pulse on what's happening in the world at large and try to apply them in our business to better help our customers connect their brands with their employees and customers. 

We've been tracking a macro trend called Generation G or G is for "Generosity." The long and short of this trend is that people in general are disgusted with greed and its consequences. Generation G captures the growing importance of "generosity" as a leading societal and business mindset. 

One of the sub-trends we're seeing a lot of application is with "Co-donate." We recently sponsored a great Co-donate project in conjunction with NY MPI and a host of generous vendors. The idea was that each attendee at the tradeshow would visit each exhibitor booth and collect a donation item that would be placed in a stylish bag and handed in at the end of the show. These bags were collected and donated to Project Sunshine which is an organization that provides support for families of children with very serious health issues. This is a great example of a trend at work and how tangible media can be purposeful and more than just simply giveaways. 

   
  

ASI says, “SwervePoint is a creative game changer.”

We recently put this piece together for our industry pub Counselor Magazine and their Creativity Issue. We got a little good PR from it and thought we’d share the submission with you.

 

Did somebody say “strudel?”

After our London visit we made our way back to Heathrow to head to Dusseldorf, Germany for PSI, Europe’s largest merchandise trade fair. 

The fair was very impressive from a visual merchandising standpoint. The exhibits were very elaborate and featured plenty of entertainment and libations. It was a little tough getting used to the smoking and drinking throughout the hall though. 

From a sourcing perspective we were able to establish a number of new supply partners and continue to strengthen our brand overseas.

London Calling.

In January, we hopped a plane across the Atlantic to visit clients and our esteemed colleagues in the London office. This trip kicked off our European Tour and planning sessions to establish SwervePoint|Europe.

“New York, just like I pictured it, skyscrapers and everything.”

Ok so technically our office is in New Jersey but let’s face it, it’s a lot cooler saying “our office in New York.” We’ve established a strong client services team that goes by the name “SPNJ or Spinach,” which is either weak, or a cute reference to their Popeye strength. This office is cranking with some big client wins right out of the gate. We’ve become proficient at riding the Acela, taking The Path, and not turning right on red in “the City.”

Aligning Ducks.

Please excuse our temporary hiatus. 

We've been busy getting our proverbial ducks in a row. 

It’s been crazy around here since the beginning of 2010. 

New client wins, new office in New York, new faces around the place, trips abroad. 

Lots to share.

We’re ready to bring the fresh back. 

Sorry we got stale.

Be a Giver.

After a year like 2009, a little recognition or “thank you” would really go a long way.

We believe in good karma and that what goes around, comes around. If you take the bull by the horns and give a gift of appreciation this year we know that that goodwill gesture will come back to you in the form of improved credit scores, friendships, scratch & win success, and many other important aspects of life.

So start the ball rolling and get the good karma flowing with our Art of Gifting collection. There’s something in it for everyone…the boss, the guy in the adjacent cube, your favorite customer, and the lunch line lady of course. 

Contact your Account Representative for help with samples, order coordination, special packaging, etc. 

Our Best Price Guarantee ensures you’ll always pay the best price. 

To learn more, visit www.swervepoint.com, or call us at 1.877.793.7838.

View/download the Art of Gifting collection here.

The Sturdy Dozen – October Edition

We’ve harvested a cornucopia of products to help you take care of business in style.

You’ve got lots of customization opportunities with these twelve prosperous picks.

For example, take the Custom Turner Pen for $2.95. You can build your own to build your brand. You’ve got the ability to customize the grip, barrel, and button color to suit.

And the Printed Eco Notebook from $3.99 is a blank canvas just waiting to be customized with your four-color process artwork. Think of it as a mini billboard that’s more useful and affordable than a full-size billboard.

Arguably the best stadium blanket we’ve ever merchandised is the Woolrich Peak Traveler’s Blanket for $27.50. This piece is packed with bells and whistles and should be a must-have item in your tailgating tool kit.

Connect with a member of your Account Team or our Customer Service Team to place an order or to have us help you put some merchandise ideas in action. Call 1-877-793-7838.

See October's collection and all of the product details at the StyleShop - click here.

The Sturdy Dozen – September Edition.

Like a US Air flight, our Sturdy Dozen for September is a late arrival.

We’re really sorry but we got a little delayed packing all of the work we had to do into thirty days instead of thirty-one.

Well, unlike your luggage on a US Air flight, all is not lost. It’s never too late to travel so we’ve put together twelve fantastic finds for business and incentive trip travel.

Grab the durable and dependable Ogio Dome Duffel for $34.50 and kit it up with the Tech Pouch at $4.50, and throw in the BOSE In-Ear Headphones for $99.95 and you’ve got everything you need for some in-flight entertainment.

To order, or for more information on how to use these products to "Connect More, Accomplish More, and Save More," please contact your Account Team or Customer Service Representative at 1-877-793-7838.

See September's collection and all of the product details at the StyleShop - click here.

Fresh Branding.

This beautiful candle makes me happy for a whole host of reasons.

From a branding perspective it really speaks to SwervePoint's fresh message. The fragrance is very appealing, the packaging is customized to incorporate our "candy stripe" design element, and our identity is prominently displayed without being overwhelming.

From a gift perspective it's practical, thoughtful, expensive enough so as not to feel cheap but not so expensive to make the recipient uncomfortable. The simple additions of the tasteful ribbon, wrap, and notecard make this a great business gift for any occasion.

The whole thing is simple and just works.

SwervePoint Serves.

Contributing Writer - Cecelia Anastasiadis, SwervePoint Customer Advocate

 If you are familiar with SwervePoint, you know our company culture is only second to how much people matter to us. Take a look at SwervePoint.com and you’ll see clues to support that fact everywhere from our focus on customer service to our awareness that customers are the most important stakeholders in our business. With our passion for people eclipsing an intense passion for products, it’s no surprise we take so much pride and joy in donating fresh SwervePoint stuff to our local community.  In addition to Elizabeth Lyons Elementary School and Glad Rags for the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (MSPCC), we have recently initiated a charitable relationship with 826 Boston and North Shore Community Action Programs (NSCAP).

826 Boston is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting students with their creativity. Their services are structured around the understanding that great leaps in learning can happen with one-on-one attention and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success. Recently we sent a large shipment of journals and pens to 826 Boston to help facilitate students’ creativity. We find joy in investing in these young imaginations because we have been blessed with success as a fruit of our own creativity.

NSCAP is an anti-poverty agency serving about 30 cities on the North Shore. NSCAP’s mission is to help low-income people empower themselves as they move towards self-sufficiency and to motivate the larger community to be more responsive to the needs of low-income people. We donated a truck load of items ranging from educational supplies to apparel and bags. The items will be utilized by the Transition to Work and Adult Basic Education programs. “The items donated will greatly assist in education and training and ultimately employment of our clients,” according to Deborah Grace of NSCAP.

At SwervePoint we take joy in donating to our local community because it is just one more way we help people accomplish their goals. We are excited about our new connections with 826 Boston and NSCAP because we appreciate supporting creativity and overcoming challenges as much as these organizations do. We hope they benefit from us just as our local community benefits from them.

The Sturdy Dozen – August Edition.

Welcome back to The Sturdy Dozen and our August edition.

This month we’re featuring our Eco Office Space collection for those looking to green up their work environment and send a strong message that Mother Earth matters!

As you’ll see, there’s no shortage of good design and affordability with these products. They demonstrate a conservative yet playful appeal, won’t be perceived as wasteful, and will surprise and delight their recipients.

The name of the game is to extend your brand and its personality by creating buzz and emotion. We think you’ll agree that these products meet those criteria.

A few of our favorites are the affordable Eco Journal for client meetings, the RUME Shopping Tote for everyday use and maximum brand visibility, and the Bamboo Drive for its simple, earthy design.

Purposeful products ranging from $0.79 - $36.50, all with FREE Ground Freight.

To order, or for more information on how to use these products to "Connect More, Accomplish More, and Save More," please contact your Account Team or Customer Service Representative at 1-877-793-7838.

See August's collection and all of the product details at the StyleShop - click here.

The Sturdy Dozen – All New for July.

Each month our merchandisers scour the earth for 12 fresh products that demonstrate style, selection, simplicity, and a great value.

We source from the same places as Target and The Container Store to bring retail inspired merchandise to the business-to-business marketplace.

July’s collection is designed for the active, tech-savvy, business traveler and features accessories for the hyper-growth smartphone and personal technology segments.

A few of our favorites are the AIR-CUBE Laptop Sleeve which is TSA checkpoint friendly and will save you time through the x-ray line. We love the TIDY screen cleaner for product launches and tradeshow traffic-builders. It’s totally customizable and comes packaged with a custom printed insert that we can design for you and at $1.50 it’s a purposeful product. Lastly, the COOL MATES at $3.50 have been getting a lot of play as they promote proper wrist form and also allow for air flow venting to increase your battery life.

Purposeful products ranging from $1.50 - $189.99, all with FREE Ground Freight.

To order, or for more information on how to use these products to "Connect More, Accomplish More, and Save More," please contact your Account Team or Customer Service Representative at 1-877-793-7838.

See July's collection and all of the product details at the StyleShop - click here.

History of The Sturdy Dozen – Every Month. Twelve of the Best.

What started back in 2003 as our original “Three Ideas” offering, then became a play on the movie title “The Dirty Dozen,” has now become, as one customer puts it, “a monthly collection of the coolest products, combined with the best service that makes my job easier.” That’s a mouthful but we like the sentiment.

Customers are always asking us “what’s new?” The Sturdy Dozen is one of our answers. It has evolved over the months and years and now is really twelve great products that are trend-relevant and can help you and your brand “Connect More, Accomplish More, and Save More.”

We’ve got over 20,000 business-to-business customers and counting, who subscribe to the monthly Sturdy Dozen e-mail. If you’re not receiving the Sturdy Dozen, all you have to do is open a StyleShop account - click here and hit the Proceed button.

Thanks for your support of SwervePoint and remember to keep it fresh!

We Pledge.

Contributing Writer - Cecelia Anastasiadis, SwervePoint Customer Advocate

Independence Day is just around the corner and we've just launched another SwervePoint firecracker. Last week we sent our team down to the Ocean Spray headquarters to parade the new Ocean Spray Company Store. For months we have overcome technological challenges and merchandised by the dawn’s early light. SwervePoint couldn't be more proud to be presenting this brave new store.

So we marched straight down to the opening Mobile Boutique. We heard tales of awe over the new store’s Made In The USA T-shirts. Immediately, we stockpiled up to be ready and the T-shirts, featuring a stars and stripes Ocean Spray logo, are flying off the shelves like fireworks. Customers are surprised and delighted just in time for the 4th of July.

SwervePoint's allegiance to deliver merchandise spangled with logos at the time of our clients’ needs is what keeps our customers celebrating. We forever pledge to serve you with speed and style so your events and your brand are remembered.

Happy 4th of July from everyone at SwervePoint!

What the Twit?

Through hard work, cunning and the obligatory espresso shot, SwervePoint has chosen to further embrace this thing called social media by launching a Twitter page.

As part of our website and blog redesign project our Twitter account has been and will be used for everything from on-site event updates to early blog post notifications and random freshness springing from all of our offices.

Follow us www.twitter.com/swervepoint and join in on the conversation. Keep an eye out for Twitter-only coupon codes on great deals to help your budget stretch a little further than you expected.

As an advance on this promise we’re here to spread the word about how to get free freight on you project. Fill out this magic form, and watch the freight disappear. www.swervepoint.com/sp-forms/startprojectform.html

A Mix of Traditional Media, New Media & FREE Tangible Media.

On my way back from a meeting in New Jersey the other day, a billboard caught my eye.

The billboard was advertising a product from my homeland...beer.

It wasn’t so much the beer that attracted me but the media combination of billboard, website, and the offer of a free t-shirt to drive beer sales that did. This promotional trifecta made me smile because it was an example of equal billing. An example where a t-shirt can stand proud with it’s media compadres like the billboard and website, all working together for a common purpose. The t-shirt isn’t relegated to swag or tchotke status it’s actually the reward, the prize.

So the moral of the story is if you’re just looking at merchandise as simply “stuff,” you’re missing a real opportunity to further connect your brand with people on a tangible level.

Father’s Day Buzz.

Contributing Writer - Cecelia Anastasiadis, SwervePoint Customer Advocate

Father’s Day Buzz at SwervePoint isn’t the sound of a hand held drill or any other tool or gadget fathers love to get spoiled with every year. Father’s Day Buzz here is the humming of customer feedback and purchases. With our ears to the hive, we hear how our customers use our products and what their needs are in real-time. Then we deliver exactly what they are chasing after.

Hoping to strike honey, I immediately started listening to the murmur of our clients when I heard a user say, “I’m now all set for Father’s Day – shopping made easy!” Indeed, Father’s Day bzzzing was filling the communication combs. Within hours, a Father’s Day email was produced and sent out to thousands of our customers. The orders have started flowing quickly as last minute shoppers purchase company merchandise for proud fathers.

The sweetest part for our customers is that UPS Ground, in most cases, can deliver directly to their dads in only one day! The sweetest part for SwervePoint is providing the pollen exactly when the bees need it. Bzzz! Bzzz!

Straight from the Bog

We’ve been busy for the past number of months working with our new friends at Ocean Spray after winning their account in a very competitive pitch. We’ve developed fresh creative for a new, on-brand, user interface for their on-line Company Store, executed 2 on-site events pre-launch to build excitement and communication (Boston & San Francisco), and designed a brand new merchandise mix to support the Retail, Grower, and Consumer channels. We’re really excited and proud to be working with such a great group of people at Ocean Spray and with such a recognized and growing brand.

We’ll drink to that.

Coolest, Newest Gadgets to Stay Connected.

Meet Antonietta Palladino.

She's our in-house hipster and guru on all things merchandising. Antonietta and her team are charged with following trends in fashion, technology, and design and making sense of it all for our clients and client services teams at SwervePoint.

"Better merchandising is better branding and we really try and focus that understanding to help our clients differentiate themselves in very competitive markets. Nobody is out there raising their hand to say, please help me commoditize my brand, just put my logo on some office products and we're good to go. We always try and bring some form of fresh design and merchandise to a client project," says Antonietta.

We thought it would be interesting to have Antonietta share with our clients, "How she's wired" by putting together a mix of the top products she uses every day to be productive and stay connected. All of the featured products are available through SwervePoint, can be decorated with a corporate logo, and can be packaged and fulfilled to meet your project needs. The pricing is considered a ballpark price to give you an idea of the range, but as always our clients pay well below retail and have our Best Price Guarantee to provide further peace of mind. For more information on any of these products or if you have ideas for additional collections that you'd like to see featured in this format please comment below or contact your SwervePoint Client Services team directly.

To download a .pdf of this document, click here.

Polos and Relationships?

Overheard yesterday in a client office… “I’m not sure, how can a polo shirt bridge a relationship?”

Wow. We’ve got some work to do. When we started SwervePoint 6 years ago, we stated in our brand charter that we wanted “to help our constituents better understand the role, capability and impact of corporate premiums and programs.” Well, here is our shot.

Tangible media is not a substitute for a relationship it’s a vehicle to catalyze or enhance a relationship.

42% of customers view a business more favorably after receiving a useful product or business gift and virtually no customers have a negative feeling - this indicates improved business relations. 84% of customers report increased brand awareness for the company after receiving merchandise. And not to forget that at less than a penny per impression the CPI (cost per impression) of merchandise and its ROI versus other popular advertising media is unmatched.

The underlying concept of tangible media is to foster brand love. If you give people nice things that are relevant, useful, and novel, they’ll respond better to you. The simple act of giving people something nice triggers a whole range of responses – using the products, spreading word of mouth to friends, family, and co-workers, increased business activity, engagement, and communication. Those are powerful responses from a simple, uncomplicated medium that is often unfairly categorized as a “frivolous expense” or merely “gifts.”

During the current economic downturn common sense would suggest that in an environment where companies/competitors pull back on their marketing and advertising there would be fewer messages for your marketing and advertising to compete with.

Since the 1920’s, authorities like the Harvard Business Review, American Business Press, McGraw Hill Research, and MarketSense have shown through comprehensive studies that companies that maintained or increased marketing and advertising grew sales and profits significantly during a recession and the following three years compared to those that didn’t.

So back to the original question… “I’m not sure, how can a polo shirt bridge a relationship?”

Hopefully by now, based upon the above observations and data, you can see how a polo shirt can do a whole lot more than just bridge a relationship.

We’re here to help our clients use tangible media to connect more, save more, and accomplish more.

Give us a shout, we’d love to help.

Field Test - Costa Rica

While scouting locations for SwervePoint|Costa Rica, our Inventory & Purchasing Specialist field tested the SwervePoint-branded Victorinox Fudan.

It held up to the jungle humidity (it was hot), monkey attacks (they eat bananas) and sloth viewings (they are not quick).

The moisture-wicking fabric held up against pina coladas & torrential rain and the expandable mesh water bottle pockets held even the largest Imperial bottles.

Highly recommended for those adventurous business travelers looking to keep their brand at the forefront while snowshoeing through the Andes, excavating an ancient vegetable garden at Machu Picchu or riding the subway to work (boring).

Cinco de Mayo SwervePoint Style

Sorry for the delay on this. Better late than never...couldn't find the camera to download the pics until today. We celebrated Mexican Independence Day (even though it isn't, it sounds official) at SwervePoint last week and had some good laughs, food, and drink (we talk a big game). Thanks for decorating the office and cranking the authentic tunes.